Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

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I would read a couple of essays, find my mind wandering, and then put the book down for a couple of weeks. It is the way she captures beauty that I love the most—the images of giant cedars and wild strawberries, a forest in the rain and a meadow of fragrant sweetgrass will stay with you long after you read the last page. J. Clifton, a psychologist studying human response to catastrophe: “Suppression of our natural responses to disaster is part of the disease of our time. Indigenous people of North America have been using sweetgrass traditionally for religious ceremonies as well as therapeutic purposes. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Global South’s censored struggles for decolonization, expanded human rights, internationalist nationalism, economic justice, global disarmament, etc. Anyone who enjoys being outdoors and thinks we can do more to respect the natural world would enjoy this book. Kimmerer was told in college that her reason for wanting to be a botanist was aesthetic rather than scientific. I thought, though I didn't have the words for it, that it was the flag of what Kimmerer names as the Maple Nation. Aside from the romanticized language that Kimmerer employs to describe every aspect of her life experiences, plant knowledge, and Indigenous culture, she constantly refers to herself as a good mother.The descriptions of Native American myths and traditions as well as the beauty of nature are beautiful. But in this book you learn about how heartbreak and love can teach you just as well as any double blind study. But when he encounters a golf ball there, hit from a nearby course, he wonders if he should remove it. In increasingly dark times, we honor the experience that more than two million readers have cherished about the book—gentle, simple, tactile, beautiful, even sacred—and offer an edition that will inspire readers to gift it again and again, spreading the word about scientific knowledge, indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of plants.

But I found myself particularly bothered in this case, because there is an attitude pervading this book that the degradation of nature is their fault. Beautiful examples of symbiosis between plants, animals, and humans are revealed through the author's poetic dance between indigenous stories and ecological science. Kimmerer) (born 1953) is Associate Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). Gathering Moss' is a mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.

Interestingly, regarding that ritual, Kimmerer says that her father made it up in one part of the book (p 37), yet in another part alludes to it as the Potawatomi “sunrise ceremony” (p 106). Beautifully bound in stamped linen cloth with a bookmark ribbon and a deckled edge, this edition features five brilliantly colored illustrations by artist Nate Christopherson. Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).

We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from. There is acknowledgement that the previously ignored indigenous cultures and knowledge are absolutely essential. My favorite part was the chapter on linguistics and how the difference in seeing the world plays out in language. I appreciated Robin Wall Kimmerer’s perspective on giving back to the land considering how much the land gives to us.In fact, Kimmerer recounts her father’s ritual for greeting the sunrise, during family camping and canoeing trips, using the name Tahawus (p 34).

I read this book in a book club, and one of the others brought some braided Sweetgrass to our meeting. The Appalachian Review notes that Kimmerer's writing does not fall into "preachy, new-age, practical bring-your-own-grocery-bags environmental movement writing" nor "the flowing optimism of pure nature writing. Through her marriage of science and indigenous knowledge (not achieved without ongoing work), Kimmerer teaches her students and us the philosophy of the Honorable Harvest. Tell us why you liked or disliked the book; using examples and comparisons is a great way to do this.

I am so glad I bought this book, because though I seldom re-read I can see myself picking this book up and reading a chapter, pretty much any chapter, and reminding myself of all I have.